IN PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1219, 30 August 1911, Page 5

IN PARLIAMENT.

DAILY SUMMARY. RETURNED LEADERS WELCOMED. Testerday had been looked forward to as tho turning point ot the session, the day lrrim wuien onwards important business mm keen party wanare should take the p.acc ot "marking time." Tne frame of mind in which many members waited for tne altornoon sitting was sometning like suspended animation. Naturally enougu tho proceedings in eacu uininoer partook of tno iuituie of a "lunction," ana in tho Upper House matters began rather like a iamiiy party. Sir John Findlay took his place at tne Ministerial table punctually at 2.31), and was greeted with appiause. Ho shooic hands witn Captain isailne, tho venerauie "Jb'atner ot tho Council," ami denvereu a parsonal message from the capiain's ctistingmsned relative, Lord Huberts. T'nen, looking round upon the members, he asu.ed- them to hold tneiuseivts lreo lor aitornoon tea. Prayers wero reatl, and tho Hon. J. il'Uowun rose to formally relinquish the leadership ot the Council, mid congratulate tno Altorney-Ueuunil on his knigntnood. Tho Hon. J. K. Sinclair made a carefully prepared speecn, in which he insisted that tho knighthood was the reward of hard and laithlul work. The Hon. J. E. J enkinson, however, quaiilied his own congratulations by reiterating his formerly-expressed opinion that the work of the Attorney-General had not been of such importance as to merit a title. It was for quite a different reason that tho Hon. George Jones uid not regard the knighthood as a desirablo addition ' to the distinctions of the AttorneyGeneral. Sir. Jones's admiration for the man 'placed over him as leaner seems to know no bounds, and his language soared accordingly. To confer a title on such a man as Dr. Findlay was like adding trills to tho song of .the nightingale or red paint to the sunset. Several other Councillors said pleasant things about tho knight and his knighthood, but tho Hon. John Kigg was again coldly sarcastic on tho subject of titles.

Sir John Findlay dovoted the first part of. his speech to explaining how very, very, wrong it was for some newspaper or newspapers to be so particularly hard upon him. He also expressed sentiments proper to tho occasion, but did not deal with his work in London. Applause greeted the baronet as ho took his seat in the Bopresentativo Chamber in tho presence of full benches and gal-, leries. Tho House had not tho Council's fondness for ceremonies and set speeches, and Sir Joseph Ward himself began tho talking with tho announcement that Sir AVilliam Hall-Jones's term as High Commissioner had been extended until the end of tho year, and that the appointment of his successor would not bo coneidered until that time. Ho promised to 'make a statement about the Coronation invitations when tho Leader of tho Opposition was in tho Honss, and in themeantime ho affirmed that ho had been guilty of no duplicity in the matter. Ths Financial Statement, he said, would be presented next Tuesday or soon after. A congratulatory resolution was moved by Sir AVilliam Steward, seconded by Mr. Hanan, and carried on the voices. Tho Prime Minister then tabled tho Imperial Conference Blue Book, and promised the Honsa an opportunity of affirming or rejecting the resolutions passed. An Imprest Supply Bill (No. 2) was brought down, and was the occasion for criticism and controversy, which waskept going until midnight. Mr. Allen, referring to the return as to tho cost and terms of loans, said it had been..asked for by the' Opposition for years past, and even now it was not so complete as they had a right to expect. The discussion was concerned with railway administration, tho five million loan,' and other financial operations, unexpended votes for back-blocks roads, railway management, the advertising boycott, and' many other subjects. There was some noisy excitement when Mr. Massey made a reference to expenditure of public . money for "private" purposes. He raoant party purposos, .as he afterwards showed, by producing his uncorrected Hansard proof, but in the meantime Mr. Laurenson had denounced Mr. Massey in his most vehement style, on account of the charge which he supposed the Leader of tho Opposition- to have made. The pother was useful to Mr. Massey, inasmuch as it gave all the more prominence to tho evidence he afterwards brought forward to show that the Government had used public funds for party purposes.

The debate lasted until 1.40 thi3 morning when the Bill was put through its final stages, and the House rose.

Mr. H. Elder, the retiring member of the Wellington Education Board, hns generously donated the whole of the allowances due to him for tho last twelve • months of his tenure of office as member, to b& expended within the Horowhenua Education ward for such purposes in connection with agricultural inetructions as the board's inspectors may recommend. This is tho second donation of the kind Air. Elder hns made. As the result of his previous donation the district _ high schools at Petone, Hutt, and Levin each! added to it's science equipment a first-class microscope. The hearty thanks of the board- were accorded Mr. Elder at its meeting yesterday afternoon. At the suggestion of the Wellington Education Board tho Minister for Education has brought into operation, so far as the schools of Grade V. and Grade VI aro concerned, the optional scalo of staffing provided in the regulations which allows junior assistants to be substituted for pupil teachers. About 20 schools will be benefited by this concession; A list of the junior nssisVnntships thus created is to be forwarded to the Principal of tho Training College, who will bo asked to recommend for appointment thereto i / , f J l ' alific(l students who havo completed their college- course. The gas-fumo whooping-cough euro has been much resorted to in London lately Inquiries rnaw at leading gasworks show that a large number of children so suffering havo visited tho works to inhale- the fumes. Ihß sufferers are kept among tho fumes for an hour or so.